MOSCOW, November 28 - RAPSI. The court postponed on Monday its hearing of the tax service's $475,000 lawsuit against businessman Shalva Chigirinsky for tax evasion, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

The source did not specify the reason for the delay. The hearing was also earlier postponed due to the defendant's failure to appear in court.

The Federal Tax Service said Chigirinsky filed his income tax returns in 2009 for the previous year amounting to 14 million rubles ($443,300). However, he has yet to pay his taxes. The tax service filed a lawsuit in April to recover the sum and 921,000 rubles ($29,000) in penalties.

Chigirinsky has not commented on the issue.

He has been operating on the real estate and oil sectors since the 1990s. He has interests in the Moscow-based Sibir Energy oil company and the Russian Land Ltd. real estate company, which own all his property.

In fall 2008, his problems with creditors arose and tax evasion cases were launched in summer 2009. Chigirinsky has left Russia and faces up to six years in prison.